Oil pan heating device



Oct. 18, 1955 LANGLOIS 2,721,253

OIL PAN HEATING DEVICE Filed May 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 I f 6 Q k w'gigi' J It H 115W 3/ Ww, w=+ 5 ..L 32

23 23 FIG. 3. 37 36 4.3 37 INVENTOR ROLAND E. LANGLOIS Oct. 18, 1955 R, LANGLCls 2,721,253

OIL PAN HEATING DEVICE Filed May 26, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROLAND E. LANGLOIS A TTORIV E7 United States Patent Office 2,721,253 Patented Oct. 18, 1955 OIL PAN HEATING DEVICE Roland E. Langlois, West Warwick, R. I. Application May 26, 1954, Serial No. 432,390

9 Claims. (Cl. 219-38) This invention relates to a device for heating oil in the crankcase of an internal combustion engine-and more particularly to an oil pan heating device.

It is a matter of common knowledge that the lowtemperature congealing of crankcase oil makes it extremely difficult to start an engine-a condition which frequently occurs with trucks, passenger cars, tanks and other vehicles that are parked outside and exposed to cold or freezing weather for prolonged periods. It is accordingly within the contemplation of this invention to enable the crankcase oil of an engine to be conveniently heated to a condition of proper viscosity for easy starting-and at the same time to provide heat to the engine block for preventing freezing of the water in the engine jackets and warming the lubricant in engine parts.

It is also within my contemplation to accomplish the above-mentioned objectives without any structural alterations in the vehicle, and in a manner that requires a minimum of skill and effort. An embodiment of my invention consists of a pro-fabricated oil pan device proportioned and arranged as a replacement for the conventional oil pan, said device being readily attachable to the engine block, and having encased therein a plurality of electric heating elements, the body of the device being of electric insulating material. In accordance with the objectives of my invention, said heating elements are electrically connected to a built-in thermostat and terminal block to which electrical conductors are attached for connection to a socket on the vehicle or an exterior electrical outlet, said heating elements being completely sealed in so as to be insured against oxidation and contact with the oil in the pan.

It is another object of my invention to enable it to be applied over the existing oil pan in the form of a heating jacket. And in this aspect of my invention it is a further object to enable the device to be conveniently positioned over the existing oil pan and readily attached to the engine block, without removing the said existing oil pan from the vehicle.

Another object of this invention is to provide an access hole in the device, whereby the oil filter in the crankcase of the vehicle can be readily reached.

Other objects, features and advantages will appear from the drawings and the description hereinafter given.

Referring to the drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation of an embodiment of the oil pan heating device of my invention, a fragment being broken away for clarity.

Figure 2 is a plan view of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation looking in the direction ofline 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a front elevation looking in the direction of line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a section of Figure 2 taken substantially along line 55 thereof, a fragment of an engine block to which the device is attached being shown, an oil screen device being shown in dot-dash lines.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section of Figure 3 taken along line 6-6, illustrating the section of the pan casing containing the thermostat and wire lead terminal block.

Figure 7 is an elevational view of Figure 6 looking in the direction of line 77.

Figure 8 is a sectional view substantially like Figure 5, but showing the device positioned as a jacket over the existing oil pan.

Figure 9 is a schematic perspective view of the heating elements and wiring arrangement of the device of the foregoing figures, a conductor lead with socket plug being shown connected to the terminal posts of the wiring system illustrated.

In the form of my invention illustrated, the oil pan device comprises a casing 10 of electric insulating material-preferaoly a moulded plasticthere being embedded within the body of the casing a plurality of electric heating elements, generally designated 11, electrically connected to the two terminal posts 12 and 13 secured to thickened terminal block 14 of the rear wall 15 of the casing. Attached to said terminal posts 12 and 13 are the two wires of the extension cord 16 carrying the plug 17 adapted to be plugged into a socket on the dash or under the hood (not shown), or to an exterior electrical outlet. The said heating elements 11 and their connec tions to said posts 12 and 13 are completely sealed into the walls of said casing 10, so that they are not exposed to the atmosphere or oil within the casing, whereby they are maintained against oxidation and corrosion. The thickness and composition of the walls of said casing, and the position of the elements within the walls, are such that, when the said elements are operatively energized, the heat therefrom will be transferred through said walls into the interior of the casingto heat the oil therein and also the engine parts (not shown) associated with the engine block portions 18 and 19 to which the casing 10 is attached, as will more clearly hereinafter appear.

The said casing 10 comprises the said rear wall 15, the front wall 20, the side walls 21 and 22, the bottom wall 23, the respective front and rear top flanges 24 and 25, and the lateral top flanges 26 and 27. The front and rear walls 20 and 15 have the bearing recessed portions 28 and 29, respectively. Secured to rear wall 15 below bearing recess 29 is the thermostat 30, adjacent the said terminal posts 12 and 13the cap 31 being disposed over said thermostat and posts. The said bottom wall 23 of the casing comprises a rear lower portion 32 and a forward upper portion 33said rear portion having therein an aperture 34 serving as an access hole, for enabling access to be had to the interior of the casing for the maintenance and replacement of interior components, such as the oil screen 35. The plate 36 is detachably connected to said wall portion 32 by the fasteners 37, for covering said access hole. In said top flanges are a plurality of holes, generally designated 38, to accommodate the shanks of bolts generally designated 39 for attaching the casing to the engine block.

In the preferred arrangement illustrated, there are two opposite substantially vertical upper conductors 40 and 41, in rear wall 15, joined to two opposite substantially horizontal lower conductors 42 and 43, respectively connecting the various heating elements to the terminal posts 12 and 13. Specifically, conductors 41 and 43 are connected to terminal post 13, and conductors 40 and 42 to terminal post 12the thermostat 30 being connected in series with conductors 40 and 42 and said post 12. Electrically joined in parallel to said conductors 40 and 41 is a bank of resistance wire heating loops generally designated 44; and electrically joined in parallel to said conductors 42 and 43 is another bank of resistance wire heating loops generally designated 45.

In the specific form shown, bank 44 comprises loops extending in a generally horizontaldirection, each loop having opposite sections disposed in the respective side walls 21 and 22 of the casing 10, and front connecting sections disposed in front wall 20. Thus, side sections 46a and 47a are disposed in side walls 22 and 2 1 re spectively, and front connecting section 48a is disposed in front wall 20. Sections 46b, 46c, 46d and 46:2, are disposed in side wall 22; sections 47b, 47c, 47d and 47a are disposed in side wallZll; and sections 412%, 43c, 48d and 4812 are disposed in said front wall 20. Bank 45 comprises substantially vertically extending loop sections, 49a, 4919,4 90, 50a, 5% and Site disposed in rear wall 15, and the respective substantially horizontally disposed sections 51a, 51b, 51c, 5241,5212 and 52c disposed in the bottom wall 23-the foremost connecting sec; tion 53 connecting the. outer sections 51:: and 52c, the intermediate connecting section 54 connecting the intermediate sections 51b and 52b, and the inner connecting section 55 connecting the inner sections 51c and 52a.

The arrangement is hence such that upon a predetermined setting of thermostat 30, current supplied to, posts 12 and 13 by cable in will cause all the said loopsconn ected in parallel-to heat up, thereby heating the lower portion of rear wall 15, substantial portions of front wall 20, and side walls 21 and 22, and practically all of bottom wall 23. This will cause an effective warming up of oil within the casing by heat supplied from many sides, to bring the oil to a viscosity for easy starting. It is also, evident that the heat generated within the casing will also travel upwardly to warm the engine operatively associated with block portions 18 and 19, to supply heat both to the water in the engine jackets and the oil around adjacent engine components;

Figure 5 shows the casing It directly attached to the engine block portions 18 and 19, the conventional oil pan having been removed. Figure 8 shows the same casing in serving as a jacket disposed about the outside of the conventional oil pan 56-casing 10 having been prefabricated to fit pan 56, as illustrated. In this construction the said oil pan 56 need not be removed even temporarily-from the engine block, since the construction of casing lltl is such as to permit all but two bolts to be removed to hold pan 56 in place. As will be seen from Figures 1, 2, 5 and 8, there are a plurality of holes 38' to accommodate bolts 39;, the spacing of holes 38 corresponding to that of holes 57 of pan 56, so as to permit the correspondingly spaced holes 58 in the engine block to be used for receiving the bolts 39'. At two oppositely spaced portions of top flanges 26 and 27' are two bolt-head receptacles 59. and 60, proportioned to accommodate therein the. heads of correspondingly positioned boltssaid receptacles each being open atthe top and containing a bottom wall 61 with ahole 62. therein for receiving the shank of a bolt 3961i Thus, when casing lid is to serve as the sole oil pan, as shown in Figure 5, the bolt 3% extends through hole 62 into the engine block portion 19. But when the casing 11 is to serve as a jacket, as shown in Figure 8; all bolts of the pan 56 are removed except thosein the regions of said receptacles 5 and nth-the two bolts in these regions being suflicient to hold pan in place while casing It) is being positioned thereover th e receptacles 59 and 6t) permitting the assembly to be elfected without interference. The previously detached bolts are operatively placed within the registered holes 38 and 5? of the casing 1t) and pan 56, to secure the jacket and pan to the engine block as an assembled unit. In this arrangement, the heat generated within the casing 10; is transmitted through the walls of pan 56, to heat the oil therein and engine parts, in the manner aforesaid;

n the ab e des'criptiea, he i ention ha h m i e earl by Way of c a r e nd Pre e d. ma

ner; but obviously many variations and modifications may be made therein. It is to be understood, therefore, that the invention is not limited to any specific form or manner of practicing same, except insofar as such limitations are specified in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An oil pan for attachment to an engine block comprising a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom walls of electric insulating material, electric heating elements embedded in certain of said walls, and electric conductors connected to said heating. elements and extending outside of said casing.

2. In combination with an engine oil pan having a body portion and an upper peripheral flange with a plurality of spaced bolt holes therein, a heating jacket member comprising Wall portions enveloping said body portion and an upper peripheral flange underlying said flange of the oil pan and having a plurality of spaced bolt holes in registry with the said bolt holes of the oil pan, said wall portions of the said jacket member being of insulating material, electric heating means embedded in said wall portions, and electric conductors connected to said heating means and extending outside of said wall portions.

3. In combination with an engine oil pan having a body portion and an upper peripheral flange with apl'urality of spaced bolt holes therein, a heating jacket member comprising wall portions enveloping said body portion and an upper peripheral flange underlying said flange of the oil pan and having a plurality of spaced bolt holes in registry with the said bolt holes of the oil pan, an open top bolt-head receptacle at the upper portion of saidjacket member, said receptacle having a bottom wallat a level below that of said flange of the jacket member, said bottom wall having a bolt hole therein, said lastmentioned bolt hole and the opening at the top of the receptacle being in registry with one of the bolt holes in the flange of said oil pan, said wall portions of the said jacket member being of insulating material, electric heating means embedded in said wall portions, and electric conductors connected to said heating means andfextending outside of said wall portions.

4. In an oil pan device for attachment to an engine block, a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom Walls of electric insulating material, two terminal posts mounted on said casing, a plurality of electric heating eiements embedded in the lower portion of said rear wall and along said bottom and lateral walls, said heating elements being electrically connected to said terminal posts.

5. An oil pan device, for attachment to an engine block, comprising a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom walls of electric insulating material, two terminal posts mounted on said casing, electric heating means comprising a plurality of sections embedded, re spectively, in the lower portion of said rear wall and along said bottom, lateral and front walls, and electric conductors in said casing and electrically connecting said heating means to said respective terminal posts.

6. An oil pan device for attachment to an engine block, comprising a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom walls of electric insulating material, two terminal posts mounted on said rear wall, two electric conductors embedded in said rear wall and electrically connected to said posts, and electric heating means embedded in said casing, said heating means having a plurality of loops of electric heating elements electrically connected in parallel to said two electric conductors, each loop extending substantially horizontally along said lateral and front walls.

7. An oil pan device for attachment to an engine block, comprising a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom walls of electric insulating material, two terminal posts mounted on said rear wall, two electric conductors embedded in said rear wall and electrically connected to said posts, and electric heating means em,-

bedded in said casing, said heating means having a plurality of loops of electric heating elements electrically connected in parallel to said two electric conductors, each loop having portions thereof in said rear and said bottom walls.

8. An oil pan device for attachment to an engine block, comprising a casing with front, rear, lateral and bottom walls of electric insulating material, two terminal posts mounted on said rear Wall, two electric conductors embedded in said rear wall and electrically connected to said posts, and electric heating means embedded in said casing, said heating means having two banks of loops of electric heating elements connected in parallel to said two electric conductors, one of said banks comprising a plurality of loops each extending along said lateral and front walls, the other of said banks comprising a plurality of loops each having portions thereof in said rear and bottom walls, the loops in each bank being connected in parallel.

9. An oil pan device according to claim 8, said bottom wall having an apertured portion therein, the said loops in said bottom wall flanking said apertured portion, and a thermostat mounted on said rear wall and connected in series between one of said terminal posts and the said conductor connected thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,764,021 Jackson June 17, 1930 1,781,412 Slichter Nov. 11, 1930 1,887,782 Peterson Nov. 15, 1932 

